Elephants and the climate: a forest partnership you can’t ignore
Elephants influence climate by shaping forests that hold most of the planet’s carbon. In Central and West African rainforests, which rank as the second largest in the world, the absence of elephants could reduce the forests’ capacity to absorb atmospheric carbon by roughly 6% to 9%. If elephants disappear, the overwhelming trend of global warming already evident around the world could intensify.
“If elephants vanish from the forest, the effect on the global climate becomes real,” notes a biology professor from a major university who led the analysis examining these connections. The study, published in a prominent scientific journal, argues that protecting elephants is a meaningful component of climate mitigation efforts. The researcher who closely studies elephants has uncovered a compelling reason to support their conservation.
Elephants are often described as the gardeners of the forest. They assist in planting new trees and trim back competing growth. Like other megaherbivores, elephants tend to favor softwood trees that grow quickly but store less carbon, and their feeding patterns also influence the mix of tree species within the forest.
As elephants feed, they encourage the growth of hardwood trees that take longer to mature but sequester more carbon over time. Their foraging activities disrupt leaves, break branches, and damage shoots, a pattern noted as elephants browse and create openings in the canopy. This disruption tends to remove tree species with lower carbon density from the canopy, easing competition for hardwoods that thrive when light, space, and soil nutrients are available.
Through selective feeding, elephants help thin the forest in ways that open opportunities for species better suited to long-term carbon storage. Even a few elephants moving through a forest can illustrate how their activity supports carbon capture. In addition, elephants play a crucial role as seed distributors, spreading large, nutritious fruits. Seeds pass through their digestive systems unharmed and are deposited in their dung, aiding forest regeneration and diversification.
Blake emphasizes that the debate about saving elephants often extends beyond ecological importance alone. While some argued for protection based on affection or biodiversity, the data indicate that elephant conservation also bears directly on climate outcomes.
On the edge of extinction
African forest elephants are listed as critically endangered or near threatened in many assessments. In recent years, forest elephant populations have declined sharply, and savanna elephants have also fallen in number. Current estimates place total numbers around four hundred thousand, a small fraction of historical levels.
The conversation, Blake argues, should shift toward recognizing elephants’ global role in shaping forests and climate. Their presence in forests helps maintain carbon-rich habitats that support human well-being by stabilizing climate patterns and sustaining biodiversity.
“The role of forest elephants in the global environment is too important to ignore,” he states, underscoring broader implications for ecosystems and climate stability.
A captioned image shows elephants in a forest, reminding viewers of their ongoing presence in the landscape. The photograph credit is attributed to a free image source.
As the researcher states, governments must act. The ongoing killings and illegal ivory trade threaten forest elephants and the many ecological services they provide.
“Ten million elephants once roamed Africa, and now fewer than five hundred thousand remain, with most populations in isolated pockets,” Blake notes. Although some protections exist under national and international laws, poaching persists. Stopping illegal killings is essential to prevent further losses among forest elephants and the ecosystems they support.
For additional context, the primary reference remains the study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, which discusses the link between forest elephants and carbon dynamics. This work helps underline the practical need for informed policy and sustained conservation action to safeguard both biodiversity and the climate.